The Delhi High Court has issued a notice to the Centre and Delhi government on a plea seeking to expedite the availability of appropriate residential accommodation for judicial officers serving in the national capital.
While hearing the plea on May 2, a Division Bench of Acting Chief Justice Manmohan and Justice Manmeet Pritam Singh Arora sought a response from the authorities concerned within four weeks, and listed the matter for further hearing on July 16.
The plea was filed by the Judicial Service Association (JSA), Delhi — a representative body of judicial officers in the Capital — on April 18 this year. The plea stated that the total working strength of judicial officers in Delhi stands at 823, while there are only 347 units of residential accommodation available.
“Around half of the judicial officers in Delhi have not been provided any official residential accommodation. The said statistics clearly show that the current state of affairs vis-à-vis availability of government accommodation for judicial officers in Delhi is abysmal,” the plea said.
The plea also said that in 1991, the Supreme Court had issued specific directions to the Centre and State governments for providing residential accommodation to all judicial officers. The apex court had also said that until State accommodation is available, it is the government’s duty to provide requisitioned accommodation to the officers.
“The House Rent Allowance provided by the government to judicial officers in Delhi is grossly inadequate for procuring suitable and appropriate residential accommodation,” the plea said, adding that many officers hence are forced to live in the adjoining areas of Faridabad, Noida and Ghaziabad, which poses a “huge difficulty” in commute.
The plea also stated that the number of units of residential accommodation available in the Central and State Pool are far higher than those available in the Judicial Pool.
“It is submitted that until such time that there is sufficient availability of constructed residential accommodation for judicial officers, the officers may be allowed to apply for accommodation under the Central Pool and State Pool,” the plea said.
